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Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, includes a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 100 genera found worldwide. A number of familiar plants belong to this family.

The Boraginaceae belong among the asterid group including the orders Gentianales, Lamiales, and Solanales, but whether they should be assigned to one of these orders or to their own is still uncertain. Under the older Cronquist system they were included in the Lamiales, but it is now clear that they are no more similar to the other families in this order than they are to families in several other asterid orders.

Most though not all members of this family have hairy leaves.

Well-known members include:

• alkanet Anchusa tinctoria
• oyster plant Mertensia maritima
• borage Borago spp.
• comfrey Symphytum
• fiddleneck Amsinckia spp.
• forget-me-not Myosotis spp.
• geiger tree Cordia
• heliotrope Heliotropium
• hound's tongue Cynoglossum
• lungwort Pulmonaria
• Patterson's curse Echium plantaginuem
• viper's bugloss Echium vulgare

Genera

Actinocarya
Adelocaryum
Afrotysonia
Alkanna (Alkanets)
Amblynotus
Amphibologyne
Amsinckia (Fiddlenecks)
Anchusa (Bugloss)
Ancistrocarya
Anoplocaryum
Antiotrema
Antiphytum (Saucerflower)
Arnebia
Asperugo (Madwort)
Auxemma
Borago (Borage)
Bothriospermum
Bourreria (Strongback)
Brachybotrys
Brunnera
Buglossoides
Caccinia
Carmona (Scorpionbush)
Cerinthe
Chionocharis
Choriantha
Cordia
Craniospermum
Cryptantha
Cynoglossopsis
Cynoglossum
Cynoglottis
Cysostemon
Dasynotus
Decalepidanthus
Echiochilon
Echiostachys
Echium
Ehretia (Anacuas)
Elizaldia
Embadium
Eritrichium (Alpine Forget-me-not)
Gastrocotyle
Gyrocaryum
Hackelia (Stickseed)
Halacsya
Heliocarya
Heliotropium (Heliotrope)
Heterocaryum
Huynhia
Ivanjohnstonia
Ixorhea
Lacaitaea
Lappula
Lasiarrhenum
Lasiocaryum
Lepechiniella
Lepidocordia
Lindelophia
Lithodora
Lithospermum
Lobostemon
Macromeria
Maharanga
Mairetis
Mattiastrum
Mertensia
Metaeritrichium
Microcaryum
Microula
Mimophytum
Moltkia
Moltkiopsis
Moritzia
Myosotidium
Myosotis (Forget-me-nots)
Neatostema
Nesocaryum
Nogalia
Nomosa
Nonea (monkswort)
Ogastemma
Omphalodes (navelwort)
Omphalolappula
Omphalotrigonotis
Onosma
Onosmodium
Oxyosmyles
Paracaryum
Pardoglossum
Patagonula
Pectocarya
Pentaglottis
Perittostema
Phacelia
Plagiobothrys (Popcornflower)
Pseudomertensia
Psilolaemus
Pteleocarpa
Pulmonaria
Rindera
Rochefortia
Rochelia
Rotula
Saccellium
Scapicephalus
Selkirkia
Sericostoma
Sinojohnstonia
Solenanthus
Stenosolenium
Stephanocaryum
Suchtelenia
Symphytum (Comfreys)
Thaumatocaryum
Thyrocarpus
Tianschaniella
Tiquilia
Tournefortia (Soldierbush)
Trachelanthus
Trachystemon
Trichodesma
Trigonocaryum
Trigonotis
Ulugbekia
Valentiniella

External links

• Delta 2002-09-01
• ITIS entry for Boraginaceae